October apple picking

So, I'm sure you've seen fall apple picking shots similar to these a hundred times by now, and I'm sorry you have to see them again. Actually, I'm not really sorry. It's one of those mandatory Autumn activities in our family and we look forward to it all year long. This year we found a no-frills farm an hour outside of the city that satisfied our various requirements: Ted's requirement was that it had no carnival atmosphere, mine was that they had apple cider doughnuts. We both left happy.

There's always one magical tree in every orchard I go to, one that stands out from all the rest. I was in love with this one. Her extra long branch was laden with the most delicious apples in the whole orchard.

I'm dead set on figuring out how to duplicate these apple cider doughnuts in a baked form. We may or may not have polished off a dozen while we were there.

After exiting the apple orchards, you're met with this little bakery crammed with about fifty varieties of pies and lines of people waiting for the next batch of baked goods.

All this to say, hold on to those traditions. They're the memories we cherish year after year. Even if sometimes it doesn't feel worth it, cause one or both children are having a meltdown in the middle of an orchard because you're not picking from the tree they chose, and you're pretty sure a wasp flew down the back of your jumper.

Autumn snuck up on me this year, and now it's securely here. I didn't realize it until I walked outside after a work event last night and the wind sliced across the back of my neck. That wind is going to make me take out my wooly coat soon enough.

I don't mean to shorten your enjoyment of Autumn, but it's going to be Winter in the blink of an eye.